(L) Yosuga no Sora

[User68604]

yea...i can see why people would WANT to believe they died in the anime version. the producers or whoever did a solid job in pointing towards an ambiguous ending.

but the evidence that shows they lived is overwhelming. and yes, read the manga - it is clear cut

[CrowKenobi]

Considering that the manga was an adaption from the original visual novel as well (or even the anime itself), I don't think that saying it is the "definitive" version holds much water...

[Kamonichan]

It's been a while since I've looked at this thread. Bring back memories. Anyway, it's current unlicensed status is obvious, but I was wondering if anyone had any musings on who would potentially license it, i.e. what distributor, based on past or current trends, would consider licensing this series? I know it will probably never see a Region 1 release (which makes me sad), but just musing or speculating the "what if" and "who would" is nice.

I think Funimation could do it. I wouldn't have thought so, but they're licensing and distributing Freezing, which can be...intense. Granted, it's not the same...intensity as YnS, but I think it leaves open the door of possibility. Sadly, I'm not too familiar with any other North American distributors, so Help me, Funima-Kenobi, you're my only hope.

Also, can anyone actually watch this series a second time without crying? I cry non-manly tears when I watch this, and I don't care who knows.

[Kotohono]

Originally Posted by Kamonichan

It's been a while since I've looked at this thread. Bring back memories. Anyway, it's current unlicensed status is obvious, but I was wondering if anyone had any musings on who would potentially license it, i.e. what distributor, based on past or current trends, would consider licensing this series? I know it will probably never see a Region 1 release (which makes me sad), but just musing or speculating the "what if" and "who would" is nice.

I'd say Sentai Filmworks would be the mostly likely group, they've picked a wide arrray of series in recent times, including Amagami SS[also used onmibus format], and plenty of somewhat ecchi series such MM or kampfer.

[Kamonichan]

Originally Posted by Konakaga

I'd say Sentai Filmworks would be the mostly likely group, they've picked a wide arrray of series in recent times, including Amagami SS[also used onmibus format], and plenty of somewhat ecchi series such MM or kampfer.

Thanks for the link. I completely forgot about Sentai It's nice to see they have such a robust list, and especially nice that a bunch of series I posted on Funimation's "Wishlist" board are already licensed there. Hope for the future (?).

[Mazryonh]

Does anyone know just how much this series sold? I expect it to be fairly high (though nowhere near the popular of stuff like Fate/Stay Night) since the original game sold well.

Is there any chance of a second season which will animate the routes of Kozue and Yahiro from the fandisc Haruka no Sora? I believe the foundations for a relationship between Kozue and Haruka were laid down in the series, at the very least.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

Does anyone know just how much this series sold? I expect it to be fairly high (though nowhere near the popular of stuff like Fate/Stay Night) since the original game sold well.

It did sell fairly well for this genre/medium, actually, which was partly due to the content but also due to a fairly smart marketing strategy (single discs by heroine, with lots of incentives to collect all four Blu-Rays). Not "blockbuster" levels, as you say, but I think it would have certainly met expectations. That being said...

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

Is there any chance of a second season which will animate the routes of Kozue and Yahiro from the fandisc Haruka no Sora? I believe the foundations for a relationship between Kozue and Haruka were laid down in the series, at the very least.

I think this is really unlikely. I think this is one of those cases where the franchise had its run and they'll let it be. Since one of the objectives of the adaptation was to promote the original PC games (given that they didn't even make an all-ages version to coincide with the anime), I imagine that a lot of people might have purchased the Haruka na Sora fandisk to see Kozue's route (and the expansion to Sora's route).

I guess there's always a small chance they could surprise us, but I think the time to announce such a thing would have been around the time the last Blu-Ray was released. By now, I think a lot of people have forgotten about this franchise (and even Sphere is focusing on its new upcoming work).

[Kameruka]

Though its very unlikely but I would love to see YnS making its way outside Japan even under "porn" label. At least it beat School Days(which deserved to stay in Japan forever) on that term. KimiNozo already released in North America long before School Days was shown but ironically it was hated were School Days were loved.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Kameruka

Though its very unlikely but I would love to see YnS making its way outside Japan even under "porn" label. At least it beat School Days(which deserved to stay in Japan forever) on that term. KimiNozo already released in North America long before School Days was shown but ironically it was hated were School Days were loved.

Well, I don't want to get into an off-topic tangent here, but I think you're over-estimating the meme-driven audience on forums and under-estimating the actual purchasing public. There was a lot of interest when KimiNozo was released on DVD in the West, and it seemed to get a pretty good reception (and there has always been a persistent demand for a localization of the game ever since the airing). School Days is generally seen as an "event" ("do you remember when...") and something of an aberration in the genre; it's noted for bringing something different to the table, but I don't know if it's exactly "respected".

As for Yosuga no Sora... it straddles this weird line that probably makes it near impossible for the established companies to figure out how to market it. Beyond just the "porn"/"not porn" issue, there's the structure of the anime that also makes it a bit tough to explain. If there were actually a larger market of eroge players, I think they'd understand it better, but those are really struggling to sell even bare-minimum quantities. I'd also point out that, even around here, it had a rather small but dedicated following; a lot of people were turned off by the unusual omnibus format and the presentation of the sex scenes. So I think it's just a tricky property overall. If someone decided to go for it, it would be a real wildcard.

[Malkuth]

LMAO@"porn"/"not porn"... this is what all these years of marketing science boils down to when it comes to anime for foreigners, push it as another Naruto/Sailormoon or as Bible Black

Then again, I never really appreciated the general public's tastes, which basically drives sales... and YnS is definitely not for everyone, like a lot of innovative (considering storytelling, not theme) anime can not be promoted with a "porn"/"not porn" to the audience that can appreciate it.

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

It did sell fairly well for this genre/medium, actually, which was partly due to the content but also due to a fairly smart marketing strategy (single discs by heroine, with lots of incentives to collect all four Blu-Rays). Not "blockbuster" levels, as you say, but I think it would have certainly met expectations. That being said...

I guess there's always a small chance they could surprise us, but I think the time to announce such a thing would have been around the time the last Blu-Ray was released. By now, I think a lot of people have forgotten about this franchise (and even Sphere is focusing on its new upcoming work).

I take it then that Sora's Blu-Ray set was the best-selling in this series?

It's too bad then; I was looking forward to hearing Ryouko Tanaka as Yahiro in an arc dedicated to her. I've been looking forward to hearing her in an anime series where she gets a starring role in her more normal voice (which from what I can tell is close to how she voiced Yahiro).

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

I take it then that Sora's Blu-Ray set was the best-selling in this series?

Yeah, in the end it was, but that was sort of inevitable anyway because the Limited Edition BD also came with a Sora plush doll (plus double artbox + Soine CD), so it was doubly-poised to sell more. The average sales were about ~7,200 BD+DVD per volume, with an extra 2,000 or so for the last volume. For this kind of show, I think anyone would call those good sales. And I have to say, as a collector of anime DVDs/BDs from Japan, this is by far one of the nicest collectors sets I've ever seen. So it had a lot of factors working in its favour.

[Mazryonh]

For this kind of show, I think anyone would call those good sales.

Well, I think it's sad in a way. The excellent voice actors for this game and series just aren't getting the credit and mainstream attention they deserve. It's a pity that Sora Kasugano will likely be Hiroko Taguchi's most famous role for a while. Unless they animate Leaf's Tenshi no inai 12-gatsu and have her reprise her role as Shinobu Sakaki, maybe.

Still, didn't Haruka na Sora have an "after story" for Sora as well? I'm sure including that would sell very well--maybe having each of the three character's separate episodes on different BDs could work, such as BD 1 having episode 1 of the new Kozue, Yahiro, and Sora stories, BD 2 having episode 2 of those three routes, etc.

As for Yosuga no Sora... it straddles this weird line that probably makes it near impossible for the established companies to figure out how to market it.

Here's a solution: market YnS as an erotic romance anime. Some of the (very best, in my view) erotic anime such as Wet Summer Days or Dousoukai Again DO actually feature a semblance of better plot than most, kind of like YnS went. And besides, don't western rating systems have to account for "the most extreme part of any visual media piece," however short it may be? Wouldn't YnS warrant an 18+ rating anyway due to the depicted sexual activity?

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

Still, didn't Haruka na Sora have an "after story" for Sora as well? I'm sure including that would sell very well--maybe having each of the three character's separate episodes on different BDs could work, such as BD 1 having episode 1 of the new Kozue, Yahiro, and Sora stories, BD 2 having episode 2 of those three routes, etc.

I don't know if it's a matter of selling well or not on its own... the timing and production conditions are all important. At the time when they started production they couldn't have known for sure if it would sell (it was probably seen as a bit risky to do it this way), and starting up a production again once it's over is a rather major undertaking. So yeah, I'm sure there's a way they could do it, but like I said, they've probably moved on to other things now. Such is how it generally goes with these shows...

Originally Posted by Mazryonh

Here's a solution: market YnS as an erotic romance anime. Some of the (very best, in my view) erotic anime such as Wet Summer Days or Dousoukai Again DO actually feature a semblance of better plot than most, kind of like YnS went. And besides, don't western rating systems have to account for "the most extreme part of any visual media piece," however short it may be? Wouldn't YnS warrant an 18+ rating anyway due to the depicted sexual activity?

This is like a niche of a niche of a niche, though. Not only can you not sell it through regular channels, but adult resellers may have trouble pitching it. The marriage of "story" and "porn" (such as it is) is not a commonly-sought product in the West. Like I said, even here on this forum, this show had rather limited popularity (even though those who enjoyed it tended to like it a fair bit). So... not saying that there is no possible strategy, but who's willing to take the risk? And besides, who even knows if the product is "for sale"... given the fact that they never even made an all-ages version of the game, the sexual content, and the appearance of some of the characters, the Japanese licensors may prefer not to bring International attention to the property. Whether that's founded or not, who knows, but it's hard to say what factors may be at play.

So don't get me wrong, I'd love both for a continuation and for a Western home media release... but I just personally think it's unlikely to happen. I'd love to be surprised!

[Mazryonh]

This is like a niche of a niche of a niche, though. Not only can you not sell it through regular channels, but adult resellers may have trouble pitching it. The marriage of "story" and "porn" (such as it is) is not a commonly-sought product in the West.

Perhaps that's true for this type of media. But in the west, things like harlequin romance and bodice-ripper novels sell like hotcakes, and that I think is probably the closest western equivalent to a story like YnS (Haruka does, after all, sweep characters like Kazuha, Motoka, and Kozue off their feet). Unfortunately, I doubt those people would try an anime built close to that formula.

Still, it's a pity that more eroge isn't adapted to a layout and style like YnS was. The omnibus format allows for sufficient time spent on each without either going into harem shenanigans or incurring the wrath of fans of specific characters who were "jilted." The White Album adaptation would have been much better this kind of omnibus adaptation, and so would older eroge adaptations like Happiness! or the like.

Another "feature" of YnS that I think was badly overlooked was how it tastefully incorporated the 18+ elements from the source material without devolving into mindless fanservice like Seikon no Qwaser or Manyuu Hikenchou did. Right now, it is one of a kind in this regard. Leaf's White Album sadly didn't go there--if it had incorporated its 18+ elements along with an omnibus format it would have been so much better. Since it didn't the anime is sadly remembered merely as excuse to get people to buy the CDs and the PS3 game.

There are certain eroge like Leaf's Tenshi no inai 12-Gatsu where the ero-elements can't be taken out without destroying the story. Perhaps if Leaf ever deigns to adapt it to animation, they would do well to emulate YnS's example. And it would be nice to hear Hiroko Taguchi in a starring role again.

[germanturkey]

I had completely forgotten about Wet Summer Days until you mentioned it. The two shows do have a bit of similarity. The thing is, this show is arguably better than like 50% of the shows we get normally. It just takes some adjusting to because of its adult content.

[Mazryonh]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

I had completely forgotten about Wet Summer Days until you mentioned it. The two shows do have a bit of similarity. The thing is, this show is arguably better than like 50% of the shows we get normally. It just takes some adjusting to because of its adult content.

Unfortunately, that about makes it doubly unlikely that more shows following YnS's format and use of ero-elements will be coming in the future. It's a big risk given the economic downturn (which also pinches the eroge fans' pockets as much as it does anyone else's). It could be argued that most eroge adaptations are big teases, but YnS is one of the few that actually gives a payoff to almost all the fans.

[zatsu-chan]

the manga is sooo different from the anime...... U_U

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by zatsu-chan

the manga is sooo different from the anime...... U_U

Well, they're both adaptations of the game, with the manga being a more traditional adaptation for the medium. The anime's adaptation took a rather unique approach.

[zatsu-chan]

naruhodo ^^